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Dysphagia includes any swallowing dysfunction, including an inability to swallow or a disorder in the swallowing process. Dysphagia increases in prevalence amongst the elderly, and it has been estimated that 40-50% of elderly patients in long-term care facilities suffer from dysphagia. Dysphagia can occur from a variety of causes, including any condition that weakens or damages the muscles or nerves used for swallowing. Causes of dysphagia may include, but not limited to, cancer (including cancer of the head, neck, or esophagus), stroke, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, head or neck injuries, birth defects, cerebral palsy, MND, MS, and advanced age.
People with dysphagia can find it difficult to manipulate food and beverages in their mouth and to subsequently swallow, and so malnutrition, dehydration and possibly renal failure can occur. UTI's (Urinary tract infections) are high in this population group. Furthermore, as people with dysphagia may have difficulty controlling food or beverages to be ingested (for example in the mouth), when the swallow is initiated the airways are not protected causing substances to enter their lungs. If such substances enter the lungs aspiration pneumonia can occur, which is frequently fatal. Some dysphagic individuals have little mobility so the usual bodily movements cannot assist in clearing the lungs. Even if complications such as aspiration pneumonia do not eventuate, it can be extremely tiring for many people with dysphagia to cough up substances which are trapped around the epiglottis or inadvertently enter the lungs (especially if those people are frail or elderly). Often the act or strain of coughing can bring on heart failure for those with already weakened hearts.
People suffering from dysphagia frequently cannot safely drink from a normal beverage cup by themselves. This can represent a loss of independence, which can have a severe psychological impact on dysphagia sufferers. Consequently, it is important that cups to be used by people with dysphagia are designed so that those people can use the cups themselves (where possible) and maintain their independence.
Various cups are currently available for patients suffering from dysphagia. By way of example, some cups rely on a patient sucking fluid from a straw which may be integral with a cup lid. A problem with this approach is that sucking requires coordination of various muscles and can be difficult for some patients. This can also present a further danger as the sucking is not controlled and sudden large amounts of liquid can quickly enter the mouth causing the person to gag or choke.
Other cups are designed so that a patient with dysphagia tilts the cup whilst drinking. However, frequently such cups require the patient to lift their chin whilst drinking. Lifting the chin extends the neck and tends to open the airway to the lungs, which can result in fluid or food entering the lungs. Furthermore, when drinking from such cups it can be difficult for patients to control the flow rate of liquid exiting the cup, as the flow rate is typically determined by the gradual elevation of the patient's chin and the shape of the cup.